Epsilon Eridani b- Closest known exosolar planet

Epsilon Eridani b is an unconfirmed extrasolar planet approximately 10 light-years away orbiting the star Epsilon Eridani, in the constellation of Eridanus (the River).

It is the closest know exosolar planet known and it is expected that a probe will be sent there by the 22 century. Any suggested names? I suggest "Ananke" which is the greek goddess of Inevitability, because thanks to it's close proximity, it is inevitable that humans will go to this planet in our quest to know the universe.

going by the constellation (which might be termed the "Euhemeristical" approach), this is the River Po (or Padus), which runs along the historic towns of Mantua, Cremona, and Verona. lots of names there. i like Sofonisba (Anguissola, of Cremona).

Words of praise showered from Islamabad to Brussels toward U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke, who died Monday in Washington.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saluted Holbrooke for pursuing a robust and determined diplomacy.

In Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari called him a friend. And in Brussels, NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen saluted Holbrooke's vision and determination, while several European Union diplomats paid him tribute.

British State Minister for European Issues and NATO David Lidington saluted Holbrooke's role as chief architect of the 1995 Dayton peace agreement, which ended the war in Bosnia.

"Richard Holbrooke's vigorous diplomacy helped to end the war," Lidington said. "He helped to save lives and bring peace to a part of our continent wracked by civil war and bitter conflict and all Europeans are in his debt."

Even former Bosnian-Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, on trial for genocide charges, expressed sadness about Holbrooke's death.

For analysts like Anthony Dworkin of the European Council on Foreign Relations, the Dayton accord was perhaps Holbrooke's most important achievement.

"Holbrooke, I think, was really the one who led the shift to a more forceful and yet diplomatically effective response and his role in running the Dayton peace process was really a kind of exemplary importance in terms of bringing a settlement to the conflict," said Dworkin.

During his long career, Holbrooke left his footprint in almost every continent, working as a diplomat in Saigon during the Vietnam war, serving as ambassador to Germany, trying to resolve conflicts in Africa, and more recently serving as special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan during the Obama administration.

Analyst Dworkin says that along with praise, Holbrooke also earned criticism for his forceful style and for cutting deals that were sometimes seen as unsavory.

"He made enemies but he also got things done and in that sense he was a very effective negotiator," Dworkin added.

But Dworkin says the complex and protracted conflict in Afghanistan shows the limits of Holbrooke's methods. And he believes Holbrooke's forceful and energetic style, which he says characterized past U.S. diplomacy, may be less effective in today's changing, more multilateral world.

But international affairs director Robin Shepherd, of the London-based Henry Jackson Society, believes Holbrooke's sometimes abrasive brand of diplomacy will always be in demand.

"Of course nuance is important, but really there are a lot of dangerous and difficult people in the world to deal with and you do need some tough negotiators to bang heads together," Shepherd said.

Australian television says Assange told his mother, Christine Assange, during a visit at the jail that his "convictions are unfaltering" and that he "remains true" to the ideals he has expressed on freedom of information.

The Australian was represented in court by the high-profile human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson.

Christine Assange, who traveled from Australia to be with her son, read a statement from him that she copied down while talking to Assange at the Wandsworth jail in London.

The city was held under siege for 43 months during the early- and mid-1990s. Its people lived in terror as shells and sniper fire rained down from the surrounding hills. An estimated 12,000 people died.

The only escape from the city was a tunnel dug beneath the airport that brought supplies in and people out. The battle scarred house where the tunnel emerged is now a museum. Edis Kolar, a former soldier who owns the house, says the people of Sarajevo want to move on.

"When Bosnian people come to see the tunnel, I can see they are trying to move on," Kolar said. "They are trying to keep the war in history and museums. "The problem is the politicians are not letting us forget."

Diplomats from various countries, including the U.S. and China, are shuttling among capitals to discuss North Korea. U.S. diplomats are visiting Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo this week. And delegations from both Koreas are in Moscow this week.

Despite the diplomacy, the U.S., South Korea and Japan have been cool to China's suggestion of emergency talks with North Korea.

He says that Mottaki's almost five year stint as foreign minister was marked by great activity and great achievements and that the minister worked diligently to achieve Iran's foreign policy goals. He adds that Salehi is a thinker and a religious man, worthy of respect, and that Iran will be secure as he handles the country's foreign policy, diplomacy, and national interests.

Mr. Bani Sadr stresses, however, that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei must no doubt have seconded the decision to fire Mottaki or Mr. Ahmadinejad could not have done it. He also argues that the decision to name Ali Akbar Salehi to replace him could be a signal to the West that he and Khamenei will be the ultimate arbiteurs during nuclear negotiations in January.

Salehi, who holds a doctorate from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is arguably Iran's top nuclear expert. Iran analyst Gary Sick of Columbia University thinks that the choice of Salehi may reveal Iran's desire to put the nuclear issue at the core of its foreign policy.

"Salehi is one of the real experts in Iran on nuclear issues," he said. "He has been part of that forever, and really knows it top to bottom and all the details. So, if the nuclear issue becomes the center piece of Iranian foreign policy, which it might be, he is probably better positioned than almost anybody else to deal with that."

Sick notes that the choice of Salehi, who is both affable and well-versed in English, may or may not be a boon to negotiations with the U.S. and the West.

He's known to a lot of Americans," said the analyst. "Even I have sat down with him at various times when he was in Vienna. His English is really perfect and he's an approachable person. That may or may not be important. We've had people before, who were at the U.N. and elsewhere, Iranian foreign policy people, who were all of those things, approachable, excellent English, educational background in the United States etc. and in most cases it hasn't made a difference."

Salehi also attended the American University of Beirut and speaks almost perfect Arabic. Iran's relations with most Arab and Gulf States have been severely strained in recent years, as the recent Wikileaks revelations point out, so the choice of Salehi may also be meant to repair bridges with the East, as well as the West.

Mr. Bani Sadr stresses, however, that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei must no doubt have seconded the decision to fire Mottaki or Mr. Ahmadinejad could not have done it. He also argues that the decision to name Ali Akbar Salehi to replace him could be a signal to the West that he and Khamenei will be the ultimate arbiteurs during nuclear negotiations in January.

Salehi, who holds a doctorate from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is arguably Iran's top nuclear expert. Iran analyst Gary Sick of Columbia University thinks that the choice of Salehi may reveal Iran's desire to put the nuclear issue at the core of its foreign policy.

"Salehi is one of the real experts in Iran on nuclear issues," he said. "He has been part of that forever, and really knows it top to bottom and all the details. So, if the nuclear issue becomes the center piece of Iranian foreign policy, which it might be, he is probably better positioned than almost anybody else to deal with that."

Sick notes that the choice of Salehi, who is both affable and well-versed in English, may or may not be a boon to negotiations with the U.S. and the West.

During his long career, Holbrooke left his footprint in almost every continent, working as a diplomat in Saigon during the Vietnam war, serving as ambassador to Germany, trying to resolve conflicts in Africa, and more recently serving as special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan during the Obama administration.

Analyst Dworkin says that along with praise, Holbrooke also earned criticism for his forceful style and for cutting deals that were sometimes seen as unsavory.

"He made enemies but he also got things done and in that sense he was a very effective negotiator," Dworkin added.